Chapter 918: Add or Not Add

"So, a person can't even empathize with their former self, let alone measure others by themselves." Pan Yun sighed: "Those who can do it in this world are few and far between."

Zhang Liuzhen fell silent, and for a moment neither of them spoke, the silence absolute.

After a long while, the door behind them opened, and Tao Ji walked out, nearly tripping over them.

He frowned sharply and scolded: "What are you doing here? Hurry up and make dinner!"

Zhang Liuzhen turned to look at Pan Yun: "You two haven't eaten yet?"

Pan Yun looked blank: "Did someone deliver food for us?"

Zhang Liuzhen's face filled with guilt; Tao Ji had already grabbed her by the ear and hauled her up.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch, Senior Brother, easy, easy, my ear's coming off." Pan Yun's head lolled as she was hauled up, and the heavy atmosphere from earlier vanished in an instant.

"Work with your own hands and you'll have plenty to eat—when has it ever been that if no one delivers food, you just go hungry?"

Pan Yun agreed repeatedly, and together with Zhang Liuzhen switched locations, arriving at the small kitchen.

The small kitchen was used for boiling water; it didn't have the cookware needed to prepare a meal.

But that didn't matter—she had them in her spatial storage.

Pan Yun took things out from her Spirit Realm, tossing in all sorts of fine medicinal ingredients for replenishing blood and Qi.

Pan Yun stared at Zhang Liuzhen and said: "To replenish Qi and blood, besides rice and ginseng, the most important thing is meat."

Zhang Liuzhen was silent for a moment, then rose and left: "Wait here."

Tao Ji sat quietly to one side boiling water, and only when he heard the courtyard gate open and close did he ask Pan Yun: "Where are Seeing Miao Zhen and the others?"

Pan Yun: "They went to the Wa country."

Tao Ji let out a breath of relief and nodded: "You've stayed in the Academy so long, everything you needed to learn you've learned. Going to the Wa country is fine—get some experience. Don't let them come back for a year or two."

Pan Yun answered softly, then asked: "Third Senior Brother, after this matter is over, will you and Fourth Senior Sister return to Mount Sanqing, or stay at Long Hushan?"

Tao Ji looked around, then said calmly: "This place is a dragon's pool and tiger's den for the three Miao Zhen, but for me and Fourth Senior Sister it's the safest place. We've decided to stay at Long Hushan."

"True—after all, Fourth Senior Sister is the dragon's pool and tiger's den for others."

Tao Ji glared at Pan Yun: "What nonsense are you spouting? Your Fourth Senior Sister is upright and kind-hearted—how could she be a dragon's pool and tiger's den?"

"Yes, yes, yes, my description was wrong," Pan Yun said, noticing his lips were pale, and pulled a bottle of spiritual medicine from her Spirit Realm space and pressed it into his hand: "Senior Brother, this was refined by Miao He. Take two pills."

Tao Ji glanced down and tipped one out to eat.

He had decocted quite a lot of medicine; Master Xuanmiao had already begun her medicinal bath, and this pot was brewed for him.

Tao Ji was likewise seriously injured.

After they finished their medicinal baths and came out, Pan Yun and Zhang Liuzhen had also finished cooking. The four of them gathered around a hot pot to eat.

Master Xuanmiao's expression remained calm as she asked Zhang Liuzhen: "Your new cultivation art is that effective? After only two months of resumed cultivation, you actually killed Zhang Zhengchang?"

Zhang Liuzhen couldn't help glancing at Pan Yun, then said: "No, the new cultivation art has flaws."

"Wasn't it improved?"

Zhang Liuzhen's face reddened slightly, and she said softly: "New problems were discovered. At the time, I absorbed Pan Yun's Yuan Power—eighty percent of that kick's force was borrowed from Pan Yun's Yuan Power."

Master Xuanmiao looked at Pan Yun, who was burying her head in her food, and gave a slight nod: "No wonder her face is so pale."

Tao Ji picked up a chicken drumstick and placed it in Pan Yun's bowl, then placed the other drumstick in Master Xuanmiao's bowl.

Neither refused, and as they ate, they began discussing the new cultivation art. Master Xuanmiao: "Did you absorb it actively, or passively?"

Pan Yun wiped her mouth and added: "I was the one who actively tried to lend him my Yuan Power, but the moment the Yuan Power transferred, it immediately became uncontrollable—I couldn't pull it back, couldn't even cut it off. Our hands were stuck together; I simply couldn't pry them apart."

She tilted her head, thought for a moment, then said: "It was like a flood pouring out unchecked—at the time my Yuan Power just gushed over like that."

Zhang Liuzhen hurriedly said: "I couldn't control it either."

If neither of them could control it, the problem was somewhat serious.

Master Xuanmiao looked at Zhang Liuzhen, then at Pan Yun, and asked tentatively: "Shall we try once more tonight?"

Pan Yun looked at her with a mournful face.

Tao Ji quickly said: "Junior Sister's lips are already pale—better wait until tomorrow."

Pan Yun turned her head, looking shocked: "Third Senior Brother, do you dare push the time back two days?"

Tao Ji hesitated, then said: "If you regulate your breath overnight, your Yuan Power can recover about half. Are you saying you want to fully replenish your Yuan Power before outputting it?"

Pan Yun immediately straightened up and said seriously: "I think Third Senior Brother's suggestion is excellent—tomorrow it is."

Zhang Liuzhen: "... You two are quite bold. Aren't you afraid I'll drain her Yuan Power dry?"

Master Xuanmiao said indifferently: "If today you two could separate without anyone noticing, tomorrow should be even easier. Besides, with me and Tao Ji standing guard for you, if it really won't work, we'll just knock you both out."

Pan Yun cheekily asked: "And if it still won't work?"

Master Xuanmiao's gaze fell on their arms: "You'd better focus, otherwise I'll have no choice but to chop off your arms with one sword. Compared to your lives, arms are a trivial matter."

Pan Yun and Zhang Liuzhen shivered, knowing she said it and could do it. They immediately dared not take this lightly, and even when they went to sleep that night they kept replaying the scene, trying to find the feeling of how they had separated.

Thus, Pan Yun didn't sleep well all night. It wasn't until the small hours that she sensed spiritual energy surging up—the moment when the Fengqi Courtyard's spiritual energy was at its densest of the day.

Pan Yun immediately flipped over, sat up, and began meditating, carefully regulating her breath.

She was young after all—one sleepless night, just meditating and regulating her breath—and the next day she was just as bright and energetic as ever.

Zhang Liuzhen brought them two food boxes.

The four sat at the stone table in the courtyard to eat, discussing what to do next as they ate.

Zhang Liuzhen looked at Pan Yun: "I wanted to ask you last night—why has this National Preceptor of yours come to Long Hushan instead of staying in Jingcheng?"

Pan Yun: "I'm still an Academy disciple—can I not come back?"

Zhang Liuzhen smiled and said: "Surely the National Preceptor isn't planning to continue studying at the Academy?"

Pan Yun lifted her chin slightly: "Is that not allowed?"

Zhang Liuzhen's smile faded slightly, and she asked: "What do you want the Academy to do?"

Pan Yun said: "Senior Brother, I was conferred as National Preceptor in October—it's been just over four months since then. Do you know how many documents from the Dao Discipline Bureau requesting an increase in the number of ordination certificates are piled on the Dao Registry Bureau's desk? Do you know how many memorials the Dao Registry Bureau has submitted to the Cabinet requesting an increase in the number of ordination certificates?"

"The several Abbey Chiefs of Jingcheng, wanting me to petition Your Majesty to increase the number of ordination certificates, blocked the gates of the Imperial City for ten days running, and some of them even snuck into the Ministry of Works to see me."

Zhang Liuzhen's brow knit slightly, but soon smoothed out: "When one person attains the Dao, even his chickens and dogs ascend to heaven. You are now the National Preceptor, so naturally they hope you can carry the Daoist sect a step further."

Pan Yun raised an eyebrow: "Does Senior Brother Zhang think these ordination certificates should be increased, or not?"

"The realm doesn't need that many Daoist Priests," Zhang Liuzhen said. "If we increase the ordination certificates for Daoist Priests, the certificates for monks and nuns will inevitably have to increase correspondingly. Even if it's because of you, the number of certificates you bring about increasing is far less than you yourself, but once the two sides are added together, it rises far too much. Once this door is opened, it will be detrimental to the realm."

Pan Yun laughed: "I thought so too."